Always be yourself, unless you can be Batman.

Always be Batman.

I’ve always had a soft spot for The Dark Knight. I have an ongoing debate with one of my brothers about who is the better superhero–Superman or Batman.

To me, it’s Batman, hands down. (You could have another debate about Marvel vs. DC comics in general, but that’s a whole separate blog; possibly a whole different website.)

So why Batman?

1. Batman is human. He isn’t from another planet, wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider, doesn’t have mutant DNA. He’s just a guy doing what he believes he should do.

2. He is committed to being of benefit to others. It does help that his parents left him lots of money. But he has no hidden agenda, no desire for accolades–just one man being the change he wants to see in the world.

3. He is permanently brokenhearted. Between the loss of his parents at a young age, to the various brief romantic entanglements (or longer, more complicated attachments if we’re speaking movies rather than comics) Batman is fundamentally alone. If anyone knows the genuine heart of sadness, it’s Batman.

4. People hate him; he’s okay with that. When he’s Bruce Wayne, people see him as a rich playboy. They might envy him a bit, but he’s more or less disliked. When he’s Batman, people are constantly finding fault with the way he chooses to help society. Does he let it bruise his ego? Nope. Batman refuses to give up despite constant opposition.

5. His true superpowers are his mind, his broken heart, and his indomitable will. Batman isn’t a hero because he’s strong; he’s a hero because all of his personal suffering and all of the suffering he sees in Gotham City inspires him to dive in and change things.

I’m going to guess the Caped Crusader never read Trungpa. Still, you have to admit he’s a great example of the warrior archetype Trungpa describes:

“The ideal of warriorship is that the warrior should be sad and tender, and because of that, the warrior can be very brave as well.”

and also:

“The essence of warriorship, or the essence of human bravery, is refusing to give up on anyone or anything.”

or in other words:

“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”

~ e.e. cummings

It’ s good to be yourself. Fight for it. And don’t forget about being Batman.

Always be Batman.

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About Kate Bartolotta

Kate Bartolotta is the strongest girl in the world. She is the love child of a pirate and a roller derby queen. She hails from the second star to the right. Her love of words is boundless, but she knows that many of life’s best moments are completely untranslatable. When she is not writing, you may find her practicing yoga, devouring a book, playing with her children, planting dandelions, or dancing barefoot with her heart on her sleeve. She is madly in love with life and does not know how this story ends; she’s making it up as she goes. Kate is the owner and editor-in-chief of Be You Media Group. She also writes for The Huffington Post, elephant journal, The Good Men Project, The Green Divas, Yoganonymous, The Body Project, Project Eve, Thought Catalog and Soulseeds. She facilitates writing workshops and retreats throughout North America. Heart Medicine, Kate's book on writing, is now available on Amazon.com
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Love this, Kate! What an incredible introspective. Hearts of a feather….and only those as tender and fierce as yours could see the beauty in this character the way you so eloquently describe. Gorgeousness.

I'd never analyzed Batman in depth before, but I've always preferred him to pretty-boy-superman or cute-boy-spiderman.
“His true superpowers are his mind, his broken heart, and his indomitable will.” Ok. Calling the Joker right now, let’s see if I can get kidnapped.

Great piece. I'm making my boyfriend read it. But I mostly wanted to comment on your bio: I, also, am a chronic over user of exclamation points!! In fact, I am concerned by those people that don't use exclamation points enough ….

"First off, Kate is right. End of argument, superman, while a great story, is just a rehashed version of the savior story which has been retold since thousands of years before Christ. Batman is just that, a man, who used his biggest fear to work to empower him, which is a lesson in itself. Secondly, the Chris Nolan series shows Bruce throwing off the wealth, and living as a pauper, in order to better understand his advisory. Another lesson in itself. Lastly he didn't get praise, he was considered an outlaw, sorry superman, love you but Bruce wins!"

Yeah, I always hated those ludicrously powerful superheroes like Superman and Thor, far preferring those with human weaknesses. That may fit with my views on spirituality, influenced by my Quaker upbringing: you can keep your infallible gods and perfectly enlightened gurus; give me wounded healers and teachers struggling along the path with the rest of us.

[…] or her own strength. It’s because of our sad, tender broken-open hearts that we can be brave. It’s not about armor. It’s not about keeping your shield at the ready to protect yourself. It’s the opposite; […]

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[…] These experiences with men put some cracks in my armor. I couldn’t hate these men, just as I couldn’t hate any race or nationality. They call yoga a practice because it is. It took a lot of practice loving so I could stop hating men. I needed a more balanced and honest view of maleness. It didn’t come easily. […]